While the advent of GLP-1 medications has transformed conversations around obesity care, some patients are unable to use these therapies because of cost, insurance limitations, medical contraindications, or other barriers. During the Nov. 15 Key Lecture The Affordable Toolkit: Effective Weight Management Strategies When GLP-1s Are Out of Reach, attendees will learn how clinicians can deliver effective, evidence-based obesity care when GLP-1 therapies are not an option.

Presented by Eileen Seeholzer, MD, MS, medical director of MetroHealth Weight Loss Surgery and Weight Management Center for the MetroHealth system, the lecture will explore how providers can build personalized treatment plans using the full spectrum of available tools, including intensive lifestyle interventions and behavioral programs, other established obesity medications, and metabolic and bariatric surgery.

According to Dr. Seeholzer, treatment begins by helping patients understand that obesity is a chronic medical condition.

“Once you have it, the only thing we can do is decide what to do about it,” Dr. Seeholzer said. “You can do nothing, you can do something, but we can’t just make it go away.”

Dr. Seeholzer noted that because many patients arrive looking for what she calls the magic pill, providers must help patients understand that treatment should be focused on sustainable plans and is often most effective when multiple approaches are combined.

“We have tools, some of which may work in different ways, and many of which do best if we use them together,” Dr. Seeholzer said.

Her lecture will highlight practical approaches for patients facing affordability challenges and access barriers. Dr. Seeholzer will discuss how providers can apply the principles of shared decision making to achieve effective initial and on-going conversations about obesity treatment options over time so that patients are empowered to partner with providers for best engagement in their care, and health outcomes for themselves. Attendees will learn how to work collaboratively with patients in evaluating options based on risk profiles, insurance coverage, patient preferences, and local resources. Dr. Seeholzer will also discuss how newer therapies fit within a broader treatment strategy rather than replacing established interventions.

We have tools, some of which may work in different ways, and many of which do best if we use them together.

— Eileen Seeholzer, MD, MS

A significant portion of the discussion will focus on bariatric surgery. Dr. Seeholzer believes many patients never receive adequate counseling about surgery because many providers have had little formal training in obesity medicine. But, according to Dr. Seeholzer, surgery should be part of the conversation for appropriate candidates rather than being viewed solely as a last resort.

Attendees can also expect a discussion about long-term obesity management and the importance of ongoing patient engagement. Whether patients pursue lifestyle interventions, medications, surgery, or a combination of approaches, Dr. Seeholzer emphasized that obesity treatment is not a one-time event.

“Work with somebody over time,” she said, adding that the future of obesity treatment lies not in a single breakthrough intervention but in helping patients understand that there is a toolbox of various treatments and that the entire toolbox will get better over time.

Dr. Seeholzer’s Key Lecture takes place Sunday, Nov. 15, 8:30–9:30 am ET, at Woodrow Wilson, Ballroom Level, in the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

Other ObesityWeek 2026 Key Lectures on Sunday include (all times are listed in ET, and all room locations are in the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center):

• Evana Mills, PhD, The Immune System and Regulation of Adipose Tissue, 8:30–9:30 am at Potomac D456, Ballroom Level.
• Joy DeBellis, DNP, FNP-C, DipACLM, PNAP, The Missing Link in Obesity Care: Building Resilient Habits for a Chaotic World, 10:30–11:30 am at Woodrow Willson, Ballroom Level.
• Andres Acosta, MD, PhD, Why One Size Will Never Fit All: Biological Diversity in Obesity and Treatment Response, 10:30–11:30 am at Potomac D456, Ballroom Level.
• Peter Smith, MD, PATHWEIGH—Mitigating Population-Level Weight Gain in Primary Care, 5-6 pm at Potomac C123, Ballroom Level.